From the author of

From the author of

Introduction

According to the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, there
are close to 800,000 global standards today, on just about every conceivable
product, service, object, or endeavor. From shoes to aircraft to mammograms to
cable TV to doorway heights to computer chipsinnumerable products and
services rely in some way on shared technology and standards. Standards develop,
evolve, and often are managed by standards organizations or bodies that simplify
agreement on the standards among all interested parties.

Open standards apply to the IT community, to corporations, and to software
vendors and suppliers. Everyone can benefit by this approach, which allows for
flexibility and choice in the development and use of new technologies.